Wisdom Teeth Extractions and Removal

Wisdom teeth are a third set of molars in the back of your mouth. They usually come in between the ages of 17 and 25, and they're spotted on X-rays. Most people have them removed because they're so far back in your mouth, they may not come in normally. They can be trapped in your jawbone or gums, which can be painful. They could also come in at the wrong angle, or  your mouth may not be large enough to support the extra set of teeth.

Infection resulting from impacted wisdom teeth can be initially treated with antibiotics, local debridement or surgical removal of the gum overlying the tooth.

Over time, most of these treatments tend to fail and patients develop recurrent symptoms. The most common treatment to recurrent pericoronitis is wisdom tooth removal.

The risks of wisdom tooth removal are roughly proportional to the difficulty of the extraction. Sometimes, when there is a high risk to the inferior alveolar nerve, only the crown of the tooth will be removed (intentionally leaving the roots) in a procedure called a coronectomy.